3 - Is he kidding me? -

Sarah's POV

Why he's he smiling at me right now?

Talking to me, something in me tells me he knows we have meant before, if not he'll not invite me here,

"I find you intimidating." I flush scarlet, but mentally pat myself on the back for my candor, and gaze at my hands again. I hear his sharp intake of breath.

"You should find me intimidating," he nods. "You're very honest. Please don't look down. I like to see your face."

He likes to see my face? Holy duck! What is going on? Why isn't Alexander coming? Or.....

Oh. I glance at him, and he gives me an encouraging but wry smile.

"It gives me some sort of clue what you might be thinking," he breathes. "You're a mystery, Miss Elaine.

Mysterious? Me?

"There's nothing mysterious about me."

"I think you're very self-contained," he murmurs.

Am I? Wow... how am I managing that? This is bewildering. Me, self-contained? No Way.

"Except when you blush, of course, which is often. I just wish I knew what you were blushing about." He pops a small piece of cake into his mouth and starts to chew it slowly, not taking his eyes off me. And as if on cue, I blush. Crap!

"Do you always make such personal observations?"

"I hadn't realized I was. Have I offended you?" He sounds surprised.

"No," I answer truthfully.

"Good."

"But you're very high-handed," I retaliate quietly.

He raises his eyebrows and, if I'm not mistaken, he flushes slightly too.

"I'm used to getting my own way, Sarah Megan Elaine ," he murmurs. "In all things."

"I don't doubt it. Why haven't you asked me to call you by your first name?" I'm surprised by my audacity. Why has this conversation become so serious? This isn't going the way I thought it was going to go. I can't believe I'm feeling so antagonistic towards him. It's like he's trying to warn me off.

"The only people who use my given whole name are my family and a few close friends. That's the way I like it."

Oh. He still hasn't said, 'Call me Jace.' He is a control freak, there's no other explanation, and part of me is thinking maybe it would have been better if Izzy was here with me. Two control freaks together. Plus of course she's almost Red - well, ginger red- like all the women in his office. And she's beautiful, my subconscious reminds me. I don't like the idea of Jace and Izzy . I take a sip of my tea, and Alicanté eats another small piece of his Cake.

"Are you an only child?" he asks.

Whoa... he keeps changing direction.

"Yes."

"Tell me about your parents."

Why does he want to know this? It's so dull.

"My mom lives in Manhattan with her boyfriend, she sometime comes to visit me and go. My stepdad lives in Georgia ."

Your father?"

"My father died when I was a baby."

"I'm sorry," he mutters and a fleeting troubled look crosses his face.

"I don't remember him."

"And your mother remarried?"

I snort.

"You could say that."

He frowns at me.

"You're not giving much away, are you?" he says dryly, rubbing his chin as if in deep thought.

"Neither are you."

"You've interviewed me once already, and I can recollect some quite probing questions then." He smirks at me.

Holy shit. Me? Interview you? When?

He's remembering the 'something, that I don't remember '.

I'm sorry Mr Alicanté but I don't remember interviewing you or meeting up with you except your brother Alexander, I snort.

He allows you to call him by his first name? He raised a confused brow at me.

"Yeah! " I muttered.

"Oh, " so you don't remember me? He questioned with a disturbing face.

"I'm sorry Mr ALICANTÉ, I know I've meet you before, but I don't know where and when. I signed.

He raised his face in an extremely attractive way, "From the library? " the guy with the glasses, that helped you during high school and during your first examination we sat together always? Jonathan? He swide his eyes for me to remember.

Once again, I'm mortified. In years to come, I know, I'll need intensive therapy to not feel this embarrassed every time I recall the moment. I start babbling about that day- anything to block that memory.

"Only fuck! Jonathan Christopher? I wow in a confused state, I remembered you fully well now, Jonathan Christopher from my class the kid with the glasses and the surprising angers, but you answered Jonathan Christopher , not Jace Alicanté, why?

Mr ALICANTÉ raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"Jonathan Christopher is the long name for "Jace" the name is Jace, so my mom just expanded it without putting the ALICANTÉ to it, so that I can go to highschool in peace like a normal kid, to save me from the questioning about going to school for regular kids.

I smiled like a manic. I know I've meant him before. But then he was a boy, but now! Jeez he has grown up to become one sexy hot meat, "He was my first crush back then, "

I smile fondly. Mr Alicanté is watching me intently, taking occasional sips of his coffee. I really shouldn't look at his mouth. It's unsettling. Those lips.

"I know you had a crush on me, once before, Izzy said so back then, when I was about beating Mateo Castillo from calling you a freaky poor thing, remember ?"

I just look at him with wide eyes, he remembers Izzy,? But Izzy didn't even remember Jonathan Christopher the boy we always hangout with during and after class, he's almighty ALICANTÉ is her own little boy boy in highschool? What a world, but why didn't he tell Izzy when he saw her a few hours ago? no wonder he looks at her that way, as if they knew each other.

"Of course. I once had a crush on you . I spat out in fable."

"And what about now ?"

"Sarah? He... smiled."

"That's it? Once had a crush? " Alicanté asks, surprised.

I shrug. What does this man expect? My life story?

I refrain from rolling my eyes at him.

He frowns as if he doesn't understand.

"You didn't want to tell me then?" he asks.

I blush. This really is none of his business.

"OK fine", he rolled his eyes at me, making me to look at him like that Jonathan Christopher from highschool with the anger. Lol.

"Hmm tell me about you stepdads then " he smiled sitting down, I swear I think my crush for him is coming back in full, like right now, jeez, lord help me please or I'm gonna melt.

"boyfriend Number two lived in Canada. My home was in Georgia . And... you know my mom was newly married." I stop. My mom never talks about Husband Number 1 again, which is my step dad .

Where is Jonathan Christopher, oh I mean Jace Alicanté going with this?

This is none of his business. Two can play at this game.

"Tell me about your parents," I ask.

He shrugs.

"My dad's an Entrepreneur , my mom is a gynaecologist . They live in Mexico."

Oh... he's had an affluent upbringing. And I wonder about a successful couple who gave birth to three kids, and two of them turns into a beautiful men who takes on the business world and conquers it single-handed. What drove him to be that way? His folks must be proud.

"What do your siblings do?"

"You know Alec right? He questioned, who's Alec? I questioned back at him, Alexander, your friend? Oh, yeah, Alexander but why call him Alec, it's supposed to be Alex,

He smiled, I dunno.

and he continued, my little sister is in Paris, with her husband Xemena and Inigo Alicanté Montoya ." he stopped with an irritating graze.

"I hear Paris is lovely," I murmur.

"It's beautiful. Have you been their?" he asks, forgotten.

"I've never left mainland USA." So now we're back to banalities. What is he hiding?

"Would you like to go?"

"To Paris?" I squeak. This has thrown me - who wouldn't want to go to Paris? "Of course," I concede. "But it's Germany that I'd really like to visit."

He cocks his head to one side, running his index finger across his lower lip... oh my.

"Because?"

I blink rapidly. Concentrate, Elaine.

"It's the home of Lucas wallies, Thomas revile, Jean paget, Adam smith."

All this talk of Economics greats reminds me that I should be studying. I glance at my watch.

"I'd better go. I have to study."

"For your exams?"

"Yes. They start Wednesday ."

"Where's Miss Inn's car?"

"In the hotel parking lot."

"I'll walk you back."

"Thank you for the tea, Mr. ALICANTÉ ."

He smiles his odd I've got a whopping big secret smile.

"You're welcome, Sarah. It's my pleasure. Come," he commands, and holds his hand out to me. I take it, bemused, and follow him out of the coffee shop. Mrs Lydsey coffee shop where I work, it's not far from the hotel.

We stroll back to the hotel, and I'd like to say it's in companionable silence. He at least looks his usual calm, collected self. As for me, I'm desperately trying to gauge how our little coffee morning has gone. I feel like I've been interviewed for a position, but I'm not sure what it is.

"Do you always wear jeans?" he asks out of the blue.

"Mostly."

He nods. We're back at the intersection, across the road from the hotel. My mind is reeling. What an odd question... And I'm aware that our time together is limited. This is it. This was it, and I've completely blown it, I know. Perhaps he has someone.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I blurt out. Holy crap - I just said that out loud? Jonathan Christopher ughhh.

His lips quirk up in a half-smile, and he looks down at me. "Do you want me Sarry? Is that little girl crush still there?

Did he just called me "Sarry " he still remembered that name he called me?

But I was silent still.

"No, Sarry . I don't do the girlfriend thing," he says softly.

Oh... what does that mean? He's not into ladies, but Izzy told me he's into the lady but fuck em? Oh, maybe he is - crap! He must have lied to me, And for a moment, I think he's going to follow on with some explanation, some clue to this cryptic statement - but he doesn't. I have to go. I have to try to reassemble my thoughts. I have to get away from him. I walk forward, and I trip, stumbling headlong onto the road.

"Shit, Sarah!" Jace cries. He tugs the hand that he's holding so hard that I fall back against him just as a motorcyclist whips past, narrowly missing me, heading the wrong way up this Himey one-way street.

It all happens so fast - one minute I'm falling, the next I'm in his arms, and he's holding me tightly against his chest. .I inhale his clean, vital scent. He smells of fresh laundered linen and some expensive body-wash. Oh my, it's intoxicating. I inhale deeply.

"Are you okay?" he whispers. He has one arm around me, clasping me to him, while the fingers of his other hand softly trace my face, gently probing, examining me. His thumb brushes my lower lip, and I hear his breath hitch. He's staring into my eyes, and I hold his anxious, burning gaze for a moment or maybe it's forever...

but eventually, my attention is drawn to his beautiful mouth. Oh my,i remember when I pecked him back then on his lip in the prom. And for the first time in twenty-two years, I want to be kissed. I want to feel his mouth on me again .

.

Don't forget to vote and comment and also share